Who We Are :: What We Believe

Awaken is guided by our mission and vision, as well as our beliefs and values.

The Mission

Through our Epic Drama, our mission is to:
Awaken hearts to the Gospel through an encounter with Jesus Christ.

As a relational ministry to young-adults, our desire is:
To engage disciples of Jesus in a life-giving community of authentic relationships with a mission greater than themselves.

The Vision

Our vision is to see team members:
Awakened to and living in God’s Epic Story
Walking in relationship with God from an alive, free heart
Equipped to initiate life-giving fellowships and make disciples

And those who experience the drama:
Given a clear, powerful, and relevant presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit to dive deeper into the truths of God’s Story in His Word.
Connected with and growing as a disciple of Jesus Christ in a local church or faith community.

Our Beliefs:

Young Adult/College Ministry is Vital
The 20’s provide the most opportune and critical time to connect with, impact, and train young men and women as they prepare for major life decisions including relationships, vocation, and faith. A program designed for this age group is a solid investment in the future of the church as a whole. Out of all age groups today, those ages 18-32 are the least likely to describe themselves as religious, as Christian, or as committed Christians.2
Awaken provides an opportunity to grow, serve, be accepted, and make a powerful impact on lives in the context of a life-giving community for this age group.

Experiencing the Story is a dynamic and powerful evangelistic tool:
Experience is the new currency of our culture. In the past we gained knowledge of a subject or issue and then later validated that knowledge. Today, people have an experience that is later validated by knowledge…This shift has implications in the way we learn, communicate, and interact.

What better way to communicate the Gospel message than by allowing people to experience it firsthand. Awaken offers an up-close experience as opposed to just simply sitting back and being fed words or songs. The Gospel message is a Story. So it would only make sense to introduce it as a Story—as a drama that makes the pages come alive with relevance to our lives today. A touring drama is unique in that we’re not music centered as a band would be. It’s not centered on entertainment as other theatre troupes are as well—instead, it’s evangelistic by nature.

Drama is a unique and life-changing spiritual practice:
Members of Awaken see their experience in the drama as a spiritual practice. While interviewing members of Awaken, we found that the most common response to questions about how being in the drama affects them were along the lines of seeing the story of Jesus from a different perspective or angle. This new perspective causes spiritual nourishment by helping members feel closer to God. One member described her role in this year’s Awaken drama in this way: “When I act out being a Pharisee sitting on the side of the stage watching Jesus get crucified… It just hits me and I feel like that brings it to a personal level. That’s Christ dying for me. It brings it home.” Their comments show that they experienced the love of Christ in a new way through watching the crucifixion through the eyes of a Biblical character. The Story comes alive for the actors and actresses as they are not just putting on a show, but truly growing closer to God by living the stories firsthand.

Our Values:

It’s About Jesus
(Acts 17:27-28, Jn. 17:3, 1 Cor. 2:1-2)
Jesus Christ is the source, and the reason for all we are and do.
The ministry is for the sole purpose of knowing Jesus deeper and making Him known
The Heart
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength
(Deut. 6:5)
Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart
(1 Sam. 16:7)
These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me
(Matt. 15:8)
For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him
(2 Chron. 16:9)
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life
(Prov. 4:23)
As the core of our relationship with God and the center of Jesus’ ministry, the heart is thus the most crucial aspect of our Christian lives. Our hearts are central to God’s continual mission because it is with our hearts that we love Him and others (Matt. 22:36-38). We need a heart “…alive and awake and free.”4 Our whole lives, including the ministry, are focused on caring for, and learning to live from our true hearts that have been set free by the Gospel as we are continually transformed by Jesus.
Desire
(Ps. 37:4; 42:1-2; 145:16, Matt. 7:7, Eccl. 3:11)
There are certain desires that have been written on the human heart at the level of the soul that must be embraced as good, pure and holy with the potential to lead us to God, and thus true Life. Exploring our deep desires allows us to enter more deeply into a life of authentic discipleship and being in relationship with God. Appealing to our core desires is a crucial catalyst for heart transformation.
Discipleship
(Matt. 16:24-25; 22:36-38; 28:18-20, Phil. 3:12-14)
At its core, awakening and helping others live from their true hearts is helping others see the treasure of the Gospel and inviting them to follow Jesus, and thus a call to discipleship. Loving and being loved by God is our primary responsibility as carriers of the Gospel message. We will be disciples who make disciples.
Mission
(Matt. 28:18-20, Jn. 20:21)
A life of discipleship is a life of mission and purpose. The ministry is for the purpose of participating in God’s ongoing mission of redemption for the whole world. We will be a mission-centered ministry. Thus we will be godly stewards of our time, energy, and resources, focusing them on the goal to which we have been called.
The Church
(Matt. 16:18-19, Acts 15:40-42, Acts 1:8)
God’s mission of redemption through the establishment of His Kingdom is the reason for the Church’s existence and thus its mission. As a ministry dedicated to participating in God’s mission, we desire to strengthen and equip the Church by helping it’s members encounter Jesus, live lives of authentic discipleship, and make disciples themselves.
Power in the Story:

Telling God’s Story through the use of drama is a proclamation of the Word, thus holding the power to bring people face to face with the love of Jesus and change lives. “Experts say drama works simply because it’s the ultimate interactive experience. ‘Whenever a live drama is performed on stage, we not only experience the performance, we’re part of it…The audience experiences the crisis, the pain, the laughter, the joy and the exaltation of life vicariously.’”5 Of course storytelling in drama is just one way of proclaiming the Gospel message, but we believe it is so tightly woven to our existence, to our own realties.
Relationships
(Jeremiah 24:7, Proverbs 27:17, John 15:15, 3 Jn. 1:13-15)
Because we have been first and foremost called into relationship with God, so our message is communicated, embraced, and lived out through authentic and intimate relationships with God and each other. Relationships will be a vital part of participating in God’s transformative mission.
Community
(Acts 2:42-47, Romans 12:5, 1 Thes. 5:11, Ecc. 4:7-12)
The Christian journey of living from the heart was never meant to be walked alone. Participating in God’s mission as disciples is most effectively done in and through life-giving community. Therefore we will venture and battle together as brothers and sisters.
Authenticity
(Matt. 23:12, Rom. 12:1, Eph. 4:2, 1 Pt. 3:8)
As we have been called to live lives at the foot of the cross in light of God’s grace and mercy, so our community and all interactions will be filled with brokenness, humility, and honesty before God and others. Embracing and living from the deep truths of our own hearts calls for lives of vulnerability and accountability before God and our allies.